The large forces to which the airfoil surfaces (fins) of current rockets are subjected by virtue of their high maneuverability generally need to be taken up by the tube of the rocket motor, and this presents a problem of mechanical connection between the fins and the tube.
Present rockets have localized anchor points on which the fins are fixed The resulting local forces make it necessary either to insert frames within the rockets or else to thicken the tube wall locally In addition to the resulting loss in solid fuel content, and thus in performance, these solutions give rise to major drawbacks in reusing the tubes because of their varying section, thereby having a major effect on manufacturing costs. In addition, such architectures limit the contribution of the fins to the stiffness of the rocket.
An improvement may be obtained by welding the fins to the metal tube of the rocket. Local reinforcements can then be omitted and the fins contribute better to the stiffness of the rocket. However, such a solution is naturally inapplicable to composite rockets.
Composite rockets fitted with composite fins have been made, but the fins were locally fixed to metal frames, thereby returning to the above-mentioned drawbacks for rockets having locally fastened fins.
An object of the present invention is therefore to provide a method of manufacturing a composite rocket motor enabling composite fins to be integrated into the structure of the rocket so as to enable the fins to contribute to rocket stiffness, thereby making it possible to embark a greater mass of fuel while retaining a structure which is smooth both on the inside and on the outside.